Color notebooks make graphical applications easy to use, but they extract a cost in system price and battery life. Not surprisingly, the active-matrix screens all produced higher display-quality ratings than the dual-scan and passive-matrix models. However, we found quite a variation in display quality between systems using the identical display technology. For example, active-matrix color notebooks ranged from excellent (a perfect 10 for NEC's UltraliteVersa 33C) to average (a 5.3 for the Eurocom 8200T) in overall display quality.
Our results using Thumper 2 showed little correlation between battery life and color display technology. The average active-matrix and passive-matrix models ran for about 3 hours; the average dual-scan battery life was 2.8 hours.
The Sharp PC-8650 received top honors as the Best
Overall color notebook (33 MHz or less), and with its price of $3699, this notebook also won in our Low Cost category (notebooks less than $4000). The PC-8650 and NEC UltraliteVersa 33C provide the best display quality among color systems. However, the Toshiba T4600C, AST PowerExec 4/33SL-ColorPlus, and Mitac Micronote Performance Model 4021G/CT posted much better battery-life times (45 minutes or more) than the Sharp PC-8650. All five units contain NiMH battery packs.
The all-out speed leader among the Best Overall color systems was the Mitac Micronote Performance Model 4021G/CT. The unit features a fast memory subsystem and is proficient in video-intensive tests with its Western Digital 90C24 video-processor chip. This notebook is 6.6 times faster than our baseline unit in the Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows screen test, compared to 5.5 times faster for the UltraliteVersa 33C. However, the Model 4021G/CT was also the most expensive notebook we tested in this report, excluding the multimedia systems.
T
he Sharp PC-8650 and NEC UltraliteVersa 33C gave the best performance among the remaining systems. The PC-8650 contains a more efficient memory subsystem than the UltraliteVersa 33C, as shown in the Microsoft Excel exponentiation benchmarks: The PC-8650 was 25.9 times faster than the baseline notebook (by comparison, the UltraliteVersa 33C was 24.4 times faster). However, the UltraliteVersa 33C provides excellent video performance with its Chips & Technologies 65530 processor, as demonstrated by its showing in our low-level Windows tests, where it was 4.6 times faster than the baseline unit. By comparison, the PC-8650 was 3 times faster than the baseline unit in the same test suite.
The Sharp PC-8650's detachable trackball is located below the keyboard and can be used with either hand. Even slight pressure will dislodge the Toshiba T4600C's QuickPort mouse from the unit. The T4600C's active-matrix display received only a "fair" overall rating because its colors are relatively dull and its viewing angle
s are limited compared to the Sharp and NEC displays.
The trackball on the third-runner-up AST PowerExec 4/33SL-ColorPlus sits a little off-center on the front of the system, and you can easily control the screen cursor while keeping your hands on the keyboard.
Four of the five systems in the High Performance category (40 MHz and faster) contain Intel clock-doubled 66-MHz processors; the Texas Instruments TravelMate 4000E WinDX2/50 (it comes with either an active-matrix or dual-scan display) contains a 50-MHz clock-doubled chip.
The Texas Instruments TravelMate 4000E WinDX2/50 contains an efficient memory subsystem and competes with notebooks with faster processors. It outperforms the 66-MHz Model 6500T in the Microsoft Word and Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows benchmarks.
The Olivetti Philos 44c and Gateway 2000 ColorBook 486DX-33 round out the Low Cost category. Both provide over 3 hours of battery life on their standard NiMH battery packs. The Olivetti's active-matrix color display is ma
nufactured by Sharp and offers much better color quality than the Gateway 2000's passive-matrix display. However, the 33-MHz Gateway 2000 outperforms the 25-MHz Olivetti model by almost 20 percent.
The Gateway 2000 ColorBook's retractable mouse, positioned below the keyboard, is serviceable except that the ball and buttons are small. Status indicators are scarce and can be difficult to read.
Ratings for This Application Considered
WINDOWS PERFORMANCE 30%
DISPLAY QUALITY 20%
BATTERY LIFE 20%
PRICE 15%
EASE OF USE 10%
FEATURES 5%
Looking for the very best color?
BEST OVERALL
Sharp PC-8650
This notebook sells for more than $1700 less than the runner-up NEC UltraliteVersa 33C and gets an "excellent" screen-quality rating with its 8.4-inch active-matrix display. You can view images from a wide range of angles, and the display's colors are sharp and crisp. The system offers
the second-best overall performance among 33-MHz color notebooks and is particularly proficient in doing disk-intensive tasks. The PC-8650 ran for more than 20 minutes longer on battery power than the UltraliteVersa 33C did. You can add up to 20 MB of RAM to the Sharp notebook, and the company offers on-site service.
WINDOWS EASE
PRICE CPU SPEED OF USE
BEST Sharp PC-8650 $3699 DX/33 3.76 ****
RUNNER-UP NEC UltraliteVersa 33C $5428 SL/33 3.97 ****
RUNNER-UP Toshiba T4600C $4898 SL/33 3.58 ***
RUNNER-UP AST PowerExec 4/33SL-ColorPlus $4565 SL/33 3.23 ***
RUNNER-UP Mitac Micronote Model 4021G/CT $6215 DX/33 4.31 ***
BATTERY
LIFE SCREEN SCREEN
(HOURS: SCREEN SIZE TECH-
MIN) QUALITY (IN.) NOLOGY
BEST Sharp PC-8650 3:03 **** 8.4 Active
RUNNER-UP NEC UltraliteVersa 33C 2:41 **** 9.4 Active
RUNNER-UP Toshiba T4600C 4:34 ** 9.5 Active
RUNNER-UP AST PowerExec 4/33SL-ColorPlus 3:50 *** 9.5 Active
RUNNER-UP Mitac Micronote Model 4021G/CT 4:09 *** 9.5 Active
KEY
Poor *
Fair **
Good ***
Excellent ****
When color quality and speed matter...
HIGH PERFORMANCE
Austin 466T
The Austin 466T features a large 9.5-inch backlit active-matrix display and provides the second-best overall performance among color 66-MHz 486DX2-based systems. The unit is adept at running Windows graphics, thanks to its fast Western Digital 90C24 video-processor chip. A standard NiMH battery provides average
life of a little over 3 hours. You can install up to 32 MB of RAM and a 340-MB hard drive. The integrated trackball is centrally located, which makes it easy to use for both right- and left-handed people.
WINDOWS EASE
PRICE CPU SPEED OF USE
BEST Austin 466T $4499 DX2/66 6.27 **
RUNNER-UP Micro-International HCP
Model 6500T $4100 DX2/66 5.55 ***
RUNNER-UP AMS 5366 ACT $4875 DX2/66 6.63 ***
RUNNER-UP TI TravelMate 4000E WinDX2/50 $4678 DX2/50 5.34 ***
RUNNER-UP Austin 466D $2999 DX2/66 6.10 **
BATTERY
LIFE SCREEN SCREEN
(HOURS: SCREEN SIZE TECH-
MIN) QUALITY (IN.) NOLOGY
BEST Austin 466T 3:11 *** 9.5 Active
RUNNER-UP Micro-International HCP
Model 6500T 3:15 *** 8.5 Active
RUNNER-UP AMS 5366 ACT 2:18 *** 9.5 Active
RUNNER-UP TI TravelMate 4000E WinDX2/50 2:23 **** 8.4 Active
RUNNER-UP Austin 466D 3:19 ** 9.5 Dual scan
KEY
Poor *
Fair **
Good ***
Excellent ****
Need top-quality color and economy?
LOW COST
Sharp PC-8650
With a retail price of $3699, this unit is an outstanding value for an active-matrix color notebook (see Best Overall, above). An LCD indicator panel, located on the screen hinge, is visible when the system is open or closed. Easily accessible compartments are provided for expansion, and a sliding eject button is included for the system's Type II PCMCIA slot. Syst
em documentation includes all necessary information for novice and experienced users. For those who value flat-out speed over color quality, the first runner-up Austin 466D offers a 66-MHz 486 for less than $3000. However, the quality of its dual-scan screen doesn't match the Sharp's.
WINDOWS EASE
PRICE CPU SPEED OF USE
BEST Sharp PC-8650 $3699 DX/33 3.76 ****
RUNNER-UP Austin 466D $2999 DX2/66 6.10 **
RUNNER-UP Olivetti Philos 44c $3720 SL/25 2.80 ***
RUNNER-UP Gateway 2000 ColorBook 486DX-33 $2964 DX/33 3.42 ***
BATTERY
LIFE SCREEN SCREEN
(HOURS: SCREEN SIZE TECH-
M
IN) QUALITY (IN.) NOLOGY
BEST Sharp PC-8650 3:03 **** 8.4 Active
RUNNER-UP Austin 466D 3:19 ** 9.5 Dual scan
RUNNER-UP Olivetti Philos 44c 3:12 *** 8.5 Active
RUNNER-UP Gateway 2000 ColorBook 486DX-33 3:26 * 9.4 Passive
KEY
Poor *
Fair **
Good ***
Excellent ****
The Best Color Notebooks
